Rise
by MTWKing
Summary: Tanner, Rachel and Jason are wrapped up in the adventure of a lifetime when the Oblivion Storm threatens the Johto Region. As they journey deep in to the heart of the Whirl Islands hoping to find the mythical Orb of Requirement, an object said to be able to quell the storm, Tanner finds himself face to face with his most hated rival, Atlas.


**Rise**

Do not hunt the Beast of The Sea

As it shall be no longer be able

To protect us from the storm in which cannot see

And then all shall fall to the only deemed capable

The Chosen One

* * *

"Hmph," grunted Atlas as he closed the book. He sat alone in the Olivine City library. The dirty blond-haired trainer slid the book to side and opened another one.

After reading the first few sentences it had, he grunted again in frustration and slammed the book shut causing some papers to slide out of the book.

"What is with this town and this stupid Storm of Oblivion prophecy talk!" He snarled. "There's nearly nothing here that's useful!"

Atlas then noticed the discarded papers. His pale blue eyes widened at what he read. He stood up and rushed out of the library with such a hurry that he dropped one of the papers. It slowly fell to the ground revealing its headline to say:

"Lugia spotted at Gilmore's Cave for the first time in 50 years!"

* * *

"Argh! Why does it have to be raining!" exclaimed a young eleven-year-old Pokémon trainer, attracting the attention of many patrons of the Olivine City Pokémon Centre he just entered. He wore a red and white baseball cap that was drenched. An Umbreon, wearing a small silver bell around her neck, who was perched on the boy's shoulder, jumped off and shook causing her wet black fur to send drips of water everywhere.

"Oh, calm down Tanner, it's just a small delay." Said a girl who followed the boy in, along with another older boy. Her long brown hair was drenched, much like the light windbreaker she wore over her blue t-shirt and white denim shorts. "You really need to relax a little."

The trainer frowned at the girl as he pulled his red hat off his head causing his short, choppy brown hair to stand out in all directions.

"If we don't hurry, Wesley will get ahead of me!" He replied sharply. "Or even worse, Atlas will."

Umbreon looked up at her trainer expectantly when she heard his tone of voice. He normally only used that tone when he was impatient, meaning the group might be on the move soon. The Moonlight Pokémon took one quick look outside and remembered the storm, they weren't going anywhere soon.

Rachel looked ready to respond but the older boy chimed in before she could.

"With the way this storm's looking, I don't think anyone's going anywhere" he said. The boy had already removed his orange vest which was soaked from the rain. The rest of his clothing, a dark grey t-shirt and pair of khaki pants were still wet, but much dryer compared to his vest. Water was dripping down on to his face from his black spikey hair.

Tanner took a look out a nearby window as he took off his light blue, collared short sleeve jacket. It was pouring rain, even more so then when their group had ran to the Pokémon centre. You could barely see outside.

"Heh, I guess you're right Jason" Tanner admitted to the older boy sheepishly.

Rachel smirked at Tanner, her green eyes almost saying to him I told you so.

Tanner simply rolled his brown eyes back at her in response.

Umbreon suddenly shook again in an attempt to dry herself. Droplets of water hit Tanner and Rachel as they were the two closest to her.

"Hey!" they both exclaimed.

Jason chuckled.

"Let's go see if Nurse Joy has any spare towels and a spot to dry our clothes." He suggested as he turned towards the counter.

"Good idea" agreed Rachel.

"Yeah, we should dry Umbreon off before she shakes again," Tanner said as he shot a look at his companion.

"Umbreon!" exclaimed the Pokémon in question indignantly.

The group laughed as they waited in line.

An hour later, Tanner, Rachel and Jason still found themselves in the Pokémon centre.

"Man will this rain ever let up?" Tanner groaned as he looked out the window near his seat. The group had all made themselves comfortable in the lounge as they waited for the storm to pass. A now dry Umbreon was laying comfortably on his lap dosing off. Jason, who sat across from Tanner, was intently watching a nearby tv which was showing a weather report. Rachel sat next to Jason and was brushing her Vulpix which lay on her lap. Everyone's clothes had recently finished drying.

"I'm not sure." Jason said, not even turning his attention away from the TV. "Apparently everywhere in Johto is experiencing this, and even some parts of Kanto."

"What?" Rachel questioned as she abruptly stopped brushing Vulpix. "That makes no sense, how can everywhere in Johto be experiencing the same storm?"

"Because it is the Storm of Oblivion" the three travelling companions turned to see a girl standing near them. She was looking out the window at the rain. Her grey eyes seemed unfocused and her silver hair was unruly. She was dressed in a white blouse and golden skirt.

"The Storm of Oblivion?" asked Jason as he focused on the girl, Tanner and Rachel were also paying attention. Umbreon had even woken up and lifted her head to face the girl.

"The negative energy in the world has overflowed, tainting the beast of the sea." She started, her gaze not leaving the window. "Without it's ability to quell the storm, the fate of the world now rests in the hands of the world's Pokémon Trainers."

"The world's Pokémon Trainers?" Tanner asked.

The girl turned to face the group for the first time. She intently stared at Tanner as she replied.

"Yes, only then can the Orb of Requirement be claimed and used to quell the storm."

"What's the Orb of-" Rachel was about to ask but for some reason, Tanner suddenly felt compelled to ask a different question.

"Where is the Orb of Requirement?" He suddenly asked.

Suddenly, the strange girl suddenly moved directly in front of Tanner. She appeared to be studying him. Her grey eyes scanning over every detail of his face as if she was trying to memorize Tanner.

"Gilmore's Cave in the Whirl Islands" was her short reply.

"Isn't that-" Rachel tried to say was but was then rudely cut off by Jason.

She glared at Tanner and Jason for interrupting her.

"That's my cue!" The older boy said excitedly at another chance to show off his wealth of knowledge. That line elicited a groan from Rachel as she knew what was coming.

Jason is known for being a little bit of a know it all. Often caught rambling on about seemingly useless information, he enjoys informing people of facts, especially Tanner and Rachel, much to their annoyance. Rachel really hates Jason's ramblings.

"Here we go again," she muttered.

"I've heard about Gilmore's Cave!" exclaimed Jason. "It's a cave named after the legendary Griffin Gilmore. Legend says he and Lugia teamed up to stop an extinction event 100 years ago. Gilmore's cave is where Griffin Gilmore supposedly first met Lugia. But of course, no one's seen Lugia in nearly 50 years. I've also heard that it is sometimes-"

"Then let's go to Gilmore's Cave!" exclaimed Tanner as he jumped out of his seat, cutting off Jason in the process. Jason grumbled something about never being able to give all the facts, while Rachel inwardly thanked Tanner for interrupting him.

"Umbre! Umbre!" Umbreon exclaimed as she climbed onto Tanner's shoulder.

"But Tanner, there's still a storm blasting the region." Rachel tried to reason with him. "Plus, no ones been to Gilmore's Cave in decades. We don't even know if it exists!"

"I don't care!" Tanner replied. "It's like what that girl said, the fate of the world now rests in the hands of the Pokémon Trainers. And this Pokémon Trainer isn't going to stand by and do nothing!"

Rachel and Jason exchanged a glance. They both clearly though that it was extremely reckless to rush out into the Whirl Islands during a storm like this. Could they even trust what this girl is saying?

Rachel looked liked she wanted to retort but Jason spoke first.

"Tanner," He began slowly. "We don't know what's out there and there's still the storm"

Jason leaned in and whispered the last part.

"For all we know, that girl could've been spewing lies to try and lure naïve trainers into a trap"

Tanner sighed. "If I stand here and do nothing, I won't be able to live with myself knowing that while something bad was happening, I sat back and did nothing when I could've at least went and checked. I have to go and check, even if it is nothing, just to be sure."

Rachel and Jason seemed to be thinking it over. What Tanner said did have some merit. What if this prophecy really is coming true?

"Well, in that case I'll come with you" Rachel quickly spoke, making sure no one could interrupt her. "No one left behind, right? I know you'd do the same for me"

"Right," Tanner affirmed. "What about you Jason?"

Jason sighed as Tanner, Rachel and Umbreon all looked at him. The eldest member of the group didn't like it, but, he too now felt compelled to at least check out Gilmore's Cave.

"You're right," He admitted. "We should go and check just to be sure"

"Alright! Let's go!" exclaimed Tanner as he ran out of the Pokémon Centre with Rachel and Jason in tow.

The silver haired girl watched the trio run off with a look of hope in her eyes.

"Good luck Chosen One"

* * *

 _Sloosh!_

"Eep!" Rachel squealed as she scrambled closer to centre of Lapras' back to avoid the large waves that rocked the Transport Pokémon.

"Woah!" yelped Tanner as Lapras shook. He was standing on in the middle of her back behind her head and had to grab on for support.

Umbreon was also knocked off balance. The eeveelution voiced her displeasure as she was nearly rocked off Lapras' head.

"I sure hope we're close to Gilmore's Cave," Rachel breathed as she relaxed back into her earlier position on the left side of Lapras' shell. "The waves have been getting bigger and more frequent the longer we've been out here"

The group had caught a break, leaving during a period of light drizzle. Despite that, the wind was still strong causing the ocean to be quite turbulent as the crossed through the Whirl Islands on the back of Tanner's Lapras.

"The island is that one straight ahead" Jason pointed towards an island directly in front of them. "We don't now how much longer this calm in the storm will last, we can't waste any time."

"You heard him Lapras!" cheered Tanner. "Full speed ahead!"

"Laaa!" Lapras affirmed as she sped up.

Within minutes, the group was at the shore of Gilmore's Island. The Island was pretty desolate, save for a few palm trees scattered on the sandy shoreline. The main and only real land scape was the entrance to a large cave.

The group dismounted Lapras and they all felt immense relief to be away from the turbulent ocean. Rachel sat crossed legged and Umbreon just lay down while Jason took a small hike towards the entrance of the cave.

"Thanks, Lapras, take a long rest" Tanner said as he recalled his trusty Transport Pokémon back to her pokéball.

CRASH!

Everyone jumped as lighting raced through the sky quickly followed by thunder. The rain soon picked up.

"Come on!" Jason waved towards the cave. "We can take shelter in here!"

Tanner, Rachel and Umbreon all ran into the cave after Jason right as it started to poor.

"That was too close." Rachel panted as she leaned against the cave wall.

"You can say that again." Jason chuckled as he watched the ocean rapidly disappear from sight due to the downpour of rain.

Tanner remained silent as he gazed down the cavern. For a second, he thought he could make out a person deeper in.

"Um?" Umbreon inquired as she hopped on his shoulder, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"It's nothing" Tanner said brushing it off. "Let's go an find that orb!"

Rachel and Jason both looked at each other and then back at Tanner for his strange behaviour. Seeing as the likely weren't getting an explanation, the duo shrugged and followed their red capped companion deeper into the cave.

Surprising, there were seemingly no wild Pokémon in Gilmore's Cave. It put Rachel on edge. She clutched Vulpix' pokéball in her hand as the group made their way deeper and deeper into the cave.

Eventually, the tunnel peered out into a giant cavern. It was well lit with torches all over the wall. Strangely, it was very humid. The cave walls even had drips of water on it and there were giant holes filled with deep blue water that seemed to have a current. As the group entered, a damp ominous breeze blew through.

"Yikes that's cold" Rachel complained as she felt goosebumps form on her exposed skin.

"Yeah," Tanner said as Umbreon cuddled to side of his head from his shoulder. "Let's take a look around and see if we can find the Orb of Requirement."

"Good idea" Jason agreed.

After searching for a few minutes, the group found themselves in front of a wall that looked like a closed doorway. Jason had found it and called Tanner and Rachel over.

"Do you think that the Orb is in there?" Rachel asked.

"I'm not sure, we have to check." Said Jason as he stroked his chin. "But I don't see a way to open the door though."

"Then I guess we'll have to break our way in then to find out." Rachel surmised.

"Well there's only one way to do so!" exclaimed Tanner as he charged shoulder first into the door. Umbreon smartly jumped off her trainer's shoulder so she would not get injured from his antics.

"Ouch!"

Tanner winced as he slammed into it was bounced right back off. The red capped trainer got up holding his injured shoulder and sulked back to Rachel and Jason. Tanner didn't just have a bruised shoulder, he had a bruised ego too.

"That's not what I meant when I said we'll have to break in, you blockhead!" Rachel chastised her travelling companion.

"Then what did you have in mind!?" Tanner argued back.

"We should use our Pokémon" Rachel said as she grabbed a pokéball from her bag and tossed it in the air. "Go Furret!"

"Furret!" With a flash of light, a long ferret like Pokémon appeared.

"Good idea Rachel!" Jason praised as he too grabbed a pokéball and tossed it into the air.

"Primeape!" exclaimed Jason's pig monkey Pokémon upon its release.

"Lend me a hand Feraligatr!" Tanner followed his friends lead by releasing a Pokémon of his own.

"Gatr!" a towering blue alligator looking beast was released from Tanner's pokéball.

"Umbreon! Umbre!" Umbreon exclaimed in welcome as she ran to reunite with the other Pokémon.

"Hey everyone!" Rachel said as she approached the group of Pokémon. "Do you think could help us get through that door?"

"Gatr!/Prime!/Ret!" The Pokémon minus Umbreon exclaimed as they turned their attention to the door.

"Alright guys! Let it rip!"

Unfortunately, all three Pokémon had different ideas on how to try and break down the door, leading to chaos. Both Primeape and Furret opted to charged at the with their strongest physical attacks. While, Feraligatr decided to launch a Hydro Pump at the door.

The Hydro Pump slammed into the door and sprayed everywhere, hitting Primeape and Furret in the process. Both Pokémon were sent sliding backwards from being in the line of fire.

"Oh no Furret!" Rachel cried in concern as she ran to her fallen Pokémon.

"Fur" it moaned as it lay on its side, completely soaked from Feraligatr's attack.

"I guess we should have coordinated our attacks better, eh?" Jason chuckled as he recalled his Primeape who was more annoyed at being hit by Feraligatr's Hydro Pump move than anything.

"Yeah, and now my poor furrey-wurry is all soaked, and his fur is all messy" Rachel cooed as she rubbed her Furret before recalling it back to its pokéball. "I mean, look, this fur will take forever to brush back to something somewhat respirable looking!"

"So, like your hair?" Tanner joked as he followed Rachel and Jason's example and returned Feraligatr.

"Why you little-" Rachel's insult was cut of as the whole cave started to shake.

"Jason! What's going on!?" Tanner exclaimed as he caught Umbreon right as she fell of his shoulder due to the shaking.

"I don't know!" Jason stammered as he too tried to maintain his balance. "Maybe the storm has gotten so bad there's an earthquake!"

Rachel noticed the door in front of them start to open as the shaking started to subside.

"Look at the door guys!" She pointed towards the door.

"Woah" marveled Tanner as the door slowly moved up into the ceiling of the cavern.

As the shaking stopped, the door had finished opening, revealing a room which contained an altar. The altar had stairs leading up to its peak where a small crystal orb with a gold band around it lay. The room was dimly lit with small glowing blue crystals imbedded in the walls.

No one said anything as they marveled at the room until a cool breeze escaped the chamber.

"Jeez it so cold!" Rachel whined. "What's with this cave and cool breezes?"

Jason pondered for a second as he looked around the cavern, particularly the newly opened altar room. "I'm actually surprised its this cold and damp down here. I mean, sure, caves are generally cold and damp, but it feels like we're in a near aquatic climate, almost like a swamp."

"That's because we're under the ocean." An irritated voice suddenly spoke sharply.

The group turned to see a very familiar dirty blond-haired trainer. His light grey blazer was slightly dusty as if he'd been down in the cave for a while.

"What are you doing here Atlas?" Tanner's narrowed his eyes as he stared down his most hated rival.

Atlas' pale blue darkened considerably as he looked into Tanner's brown ones.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" He replied, the irritation clear in his voice. "I'm here for Lugia."

"Lugia!?" Tanner, Rachel and Jason all exclaimed.

"Then what I saw in the newspaper earlier was true!" gasped Jason as he recalled seeing the headline of newspaper saying Lugia was recently spotted in the Whirl Islands earlier that day in the Pokémon Centre.

"Umbre?" Umbreon mirrored the shock of her trainer who was still staring at Atlas shock.

"Clearly, you all are out of the loop as always," Atlas grumbled. "Anyways, I'll be grabbing the Orb of Requirement and be on my way, so move along"

Atlas turned towards the altar room and started to walk away.

Tanner suddenly stepped forwards.

"I can't let you do that Atlas." He spoke firmly. Umbreon mimicked his actions.

Atlas stopped and didn't even look back as he replied. "And why is that?"

"Because we need the Orb of Requirement to stop the Oblivion Storm." Tanner said seriously. "Please look past your quest for power just this once and help us! The world is in danger, we need to use the orb to purify Lugia, so it can stop the storm!"

"Don't tell me you believe in that legend of The Chosen One nonsense" Atlas snarled as he turned to face his rival.

"Legend of The Chosen One?" Tanner asked clearly confused. Rachel and Jason also seemed just as confused as Tanner.

"Only someone as uneducated and uncultured as you wouldn't know of the legend of The Chosen One." Snorted Atlas, "The legend tells of two extinction events, The Great Fire and the Storm of Oblivion. Apparently, they only come to be once the negative energy of the world is so powerful that it corrupts either Ho-oh or Lugia. Once that happens, it is said that only The Chosen One can use the Orb of Requirement to purify the legendary beast."

"But of course, The orb can also be used to summon Lugia in Gilmore's cave." Atlas added as he turned towards the altar yet again.

Tanner stepped forwards and pulled a pokéball of his belt, enlarging it in his hand. "I'm not going to let you take the orb and Lugia for yourself. The world needs them both."

"Only you could possible think that just because you believe you're doing the right thing means that you can just boss people around." Atlas said as he turned around and glared at Tanner. "I spent years researching where to find the strongest Pokémon the world has ever seen. Now that I've found the way to get one, you're just going tell me to buzz off?"

"Yeah. So, what are you gonna do about it?" Tanner challenged.

"I'm gonna crush you!" Atlas roared as he threw a pokéball in the air. "Then, you'll have to let me pass and take the orb!"

"I'll be the one passing by you for that orb!" Tanner countered as he threw his own pokéball in the air. "Crobat, I choose you!"

In flashes of light, a purple four-winged bat and Atlas' Sneasel, a bipedal weasel like Pokémon, appeared in between the two trainers. Both Pokémon glared at each other, awaiting their trainer's command.

"Don't get cocky, Tanner." Jason warned, as he and Rachel looked on. "Remember what's potentially at stake here."

"Right," Tanner nodded.

"We believe in you." Added Rachel.

"Thanks guys," Tanner replied. He then took a deep breath to calm himself. Tanner would never admit it, but he was terrified. He'd never beaten Atlas and now here he was battling him with the fate of the world potentially on the line.

"Use Air Cutter Crobat!" Tanner yelled, taking the first move.

Crobat start to viciously flap its wings sending razor sharp air currents at Sneasel. The sharp claw Pokémon made no attempt to dodge as the attack, taking it with seemingly little pain.

"Ice Punch Sneasel!" Atlas growled.

"Block it with Wing Attack!" Tanner called.

Sneasel ran up towards Crobat and leaped in to the air, leading with its ice-covered fist. Crobat was fast to react, blocking it with it's glowing white wings making an X formation. However, Sneasel was faster, quickly striking Crobat with its other arm.

"Cro!" Crobat cried in pain as it was struck with a super-effective attack.

"Hang in there Crobat!" Tanner cried. "Use Cross Poison!"

Crobat slashed at Sneasel with two blades of pure poison. Sneasel recoiled from the poison surging through its body, struggling to get up.

Tanner looked ready to call the finishing blow, but as usual, Atlas was one step ahead.

"Grab Crobat and use Beat Up!" He commanded.

Sneasel quickly grabbed Crobat by the wings and threw it to the ground. It the started to viciously punch and kick the purple bat as it struggled to free its self from being pinned to the ground.

"Come on Crobat! Get out of there!" Tanner yelled as desperation seeped into his voice.

But it was to avail, Sneasel stopped once Crobat stopped struggling. The purple bat lay on the cave floor knocked out.

"Thank you Crobat, take a long rest, " said Tanner as he recalled his fallen Pokémon. He then reached down to his belt and grabbed another pokéball.

"Go Gligar!" Tanner threw the capture device into the air. With a flash of light, the flyscorpion Pokémon appeared on the battlefield.

Atlas wasted no time calling Sneasel's next move, wanting to gain a quick advantage.

"Use Ice Shard!"

Sneasel launched a barrage of razor sharp shards towards Gligar. As soon as Atlas called that attack, Tanner knew he made a grave mistake, Gligar is very weak to Ice Type attacks.

"Dodge Gligar!"

Gligar skillfully glided through the barrage of ice not being hit by a single shard.

Finding his opening, Tanner knew what to call next.

"Get in close and use Sky Uppercut!" Tanner yelled.

The flyscorpion Pokémon quickly obeyed it trainer and glided in close to Sneasel. As it got close, Gligar's claw glowed white with energy as it hit Sneasel with a powerful uppercut right across the chin.

"Snea" Sneasel groaned as it fell to the ground disoriented.

"Get up!" Atlas roared. "This battle isn't over!"

"Sel!" With a grunt and big struggle, Sneasel got back onto its feet.

"Hit it with an Ice Punch!" Atlas commanded.

"X-Scissor, Gligar!" countered Tanner.

Sneasel and Gligar charged at each other. Gligar crossed its pincers in front of itself as a green glow in the shape of an X appeared in front of it, while Sneasel raised a fist covered in ice. The attacks collided in the centre of the make shift battlefield causing a puff of smoke to hide the result of the collision.

When the smoke cleared, both Pokémon lay on the ground, unable to battle. Both trainers recalled their fallen Pokémon and made their next selections.

"Umbreon, I chose you!" called Tanner, making his choice first, as he pointed forwards and Umbreon ran on to the battlefield from her spot sitting next to him.

"Prepare to battle Donphan!" Atlas tossed a pokéball in the air. Out came a short four-legged, bulky elephant looking Pokémon with formidable tusks.

"Donphan!" Donphan roared in an attempted to intimidate Umbreon.

"Umbreon!" Tanner's trusty partner cried back in determination.

"Rollout Donphan!" cried Atlas .

Donphan curled itself into a ball and hurled itself towards Umbreon. Umbreon slid backwards from the collision but stayed on her feet.

"Dark Pulse!" Umbreon shot a wave of dark purple energy slamming into Donphan. The mighty armour Pokémon took the hit with ease, sliding back only a few inches.

Both Pokémon continued to glare at each other like their trainers. This display of strength showed that neither was going to back down, this battle had just started.

"Let's try Swift Umbreon!" Tanner called.

"Umbreon!" A barrage of gold stars was shot at Donphan, slashing all over the Armour Pokémon's body. As any Atlas trained Pokémon is taught to do, Donphan tried to shrug off the attack to show strength. However, it was clear that it was somewhat in discomfort.

"Use Bulldoze!" Atlas ordered.

Donphan was quick to plant its feet in to the ground.

"Phan!" it cried as sent shockwaves into the earth causing the whole cave to shake.

"Umbre!" Umbreon cried in pain as the earth around her cracked and launched pieces of rock and dirt at her.

"Stop Donphan with a Shadow Ball!" An orb of black and purple energy was amassed in front of Umbreon before being launched at Donphan. As it was hit, the armor Pokémon was pushed on its side and no longer able to maintain its Bulldoze attack.

"Alright Umbreon!" Tanner cheered. Umbreon smiled happily from her trainers praised.

"Get up weakling!" Atlas growled at Donphan, who was trying to get back up. "You can't lose to that pathetic Umbreon."

"Hey!" Barked Tanner. "Umbreon isn't pathetic!"

"Oh really?" Atlas mocked as Donphan got back up. "Then prove it. Use Rollout Donphan!"

"Block with Iron Tail!"

Donphan rolled towards Umbreon with incredible speed. But the moonlight Pokémon was faster. Umbreon leaped into the air as her tail became covered with a metallic looking coat. In one swift motion, Umbreon wacked Donphan with her tail. Donphan was sent skidding into a stalagmite, which broke upon the collision.

"Don… Phan" Donphan panted as it shakily got back to its feet.

"Ram it with Slam!" roared Atlas.

Donphan charged towards Umbreon with incredible speed, considering its earlier state.

"Dodge!" Tanner cried in desperation.

Umbreon was not fast enough. Donphan rammed into Umbreon, carrying her all the way to the cave wall where it pinned the moonlight against it with its tusks.

"Breon!" Umbreon yelped in pain as Donphan began to squeeze.

" _Come on Tanner! Think!"_ Tanner tried to come up with a strategy to get Umbreon out of this mess. _"That's it!"_

"Use Shadow Ball Umbreon!" commanded Tanner.

Umbreon struggled at first but was soon able to produce a Shadow Ball that hit Donphan almost as soon as it was done materializing due to the proximity of both combatants.

"Now hit it in belly with an Iron Tail!"

With one big slash of the tail, Umbreon sent Donphan flipping on its back and sliding away. When it came to a stop, Donphan was fainted and had swirls in its eyes.

"Alright Umbreon! Great work!" Tanner praised.

Atlas grunted and wordlessly returned Donphan and reached for another pokéball. He tossed into the air and a menacing looking bird was released.

"Fearow!" it cried.

"You caught another Fearow?" Tanner questioned.

"Of course," replied Atlas . "After I released that pathetic one on the SS. Anne I was left in need of a powerful flying type."

"That's sick!" Rachel spoke up from the sidelines. Jason merely frowned, deciding to stay quiet. As far as he was concerned, each trainer has a right to build a team as they please, even if Atlas' methods were quite cruel.

"What you're doing is wrong!" Tanner shouted. "Pokémon need love and care to grow stronger!"

"If what I'm doing is so wrong, then why haven't you beaten me?" Atlas mocked. "Use Drill Peck!"

Fearow spun rapidly as it charged at Umbreon, leading with its beak. The moonlight Pokémon cried in pain as it was hit by Fearow's attack as it flew a flyby.

"Use Zap Cannon Umbreon!" called Tanner.

A blast of powerful electricity was shot from Umbreon's yellow circle on the middle of her head. Fearow however, was able to easily dodge the attack due to its huge inaccuracy.

"Mirror Move!" Atlas' Fearow quickly mimicked Umbreon's Zap Cannon. Launching the same attack back at Umbreon, however this time it hit its mark.

"Umbreon!" The moonlight Pokémon cried in pain upon being hit by a devastating electric attack.

"Hang in there Umbreon!" cried Tanner. "Use Dark Pulse!"

"Dodge and use Arial Ace!" Atlas countered.

A wave of dark energy was shot towards Fearow. The beak Pokémon reacted quickly, diving towards Umbreon, spinning away from the attack. The moonlight Pokémon was quickly struck with an Arial Ace causing her to recoil.

"Don't let it get away!" Tanner cried. "Use Swift!"

A Swift was quickly launched by Umbreon and the barrage of stars found their mark. A direct hit, Fearow's flight course was even severely changed by it too and it almost hit a stalactite.

"Now, Umbreon! Use Dark Pulse!" Tanner exclaimed.

"Not so fast!" interjected Atlas. "Drill Run Fearow!"

Fearow's beak glowed with energy as it launched itself into a spin cycle as charged towards Umbreon. With pure brute force, Fearow plowed its way right through the Dark Pulse and hit Umbreon head on for a critical hit.

When the dust settled, Fearow was in the sky circling a fainted Umbreon.

"Thanks, Umbreon." Tanner sighed as picked up Umbreon's fallen form and brought her to Rachel and Jason.

"Look after her for me would'ya guys?" He asked.

"Of course, Tanner." said Rachel as she grabbed Umbreon out of Tanner's arms. "I'm sure she'll be up to watch the rest of the battle soon."

"Yeah, now go out there and win it." Jason told the red capped trainer.

"You bet!" exclaimed Tanner as he made his way back to the makeshift battlefield.

Tanner unclipped another pokéball from his belt.

"Let's go Feraligatr!" He yelled as he threw the device into the air.

With a flash of light, the menacing blue alligator Pokémon appeared.

"Gatr!" it roared.

Atlas' didn't look the slightest bit disturbed and neither did Fearow. The beak Pokémon continued to fly circles around the battlefield.

Tanner decided to take the first move. "Hydro Pump Feraligatr!"

Feraligatr shot a powerful geyser of water out of its large jaws and into the air. Fearow attempted to spin out of the way but it wasn't fast enough. The powerful water type attack hit its mark dead on, nearly knocking Fearow out of the sky.

"Ge in close with Drill Peck!" Atlas called out a quick counter attack.

Within seconds, Fearow darted towards Feraligatr as it began to rapidly spin. Tanner recognized an opportunity to trade damage almost immediately and called his next move.

"Grab Fearow with Ice Fang!"

Fearow struck its mark, drilling to Feraligatr with ferocious strength. The big jaw Pokémon was not stunned for long by the attack, biting down on to Fearow's wing as it tried to climb back into the air.

"Fearow!" The beak Pokémon cried in pain as Feraligatr tightened the grip its icy jaws held over it.

"Get out of there!" grunted Atlas. "Use Fury Attack!"

Before anyone could blink, Fearow had broke out into a fury of spastic attacks with it beak, free wing and talons. Feraligatr struggled to hold on as the attacks became more powerful and frequent.

"Hold on Feraligatr!" Tanner cried. "I know you can do it!"

Tanner's mighty gator held on for as long as it could. But eventually, Fearow was able to break free and take to the sky once again.

"Arial Ace Fearow!"

"Hit it with a Hydro Pump!"

A large jet of water was launched towards Fearow from Feraligatr's mouth as it shot towards it with speed. Fearow was quick to react, spinning out of the way just in time.

"Now intercept it with Superpower!" Tanner cried.

Surprising both Atlas and Fearow, Feraligatr launched itself towards Fearow right as it was about to make contact. With a great force, Fearow was slammed into the cave wall.

The beak Pokémon struggled to get back up and was ultimately unable to do so, falling down unconscious.

"We're even again." said Tanner as Atlas wordlessly returned Fearow back to its pokéball.

"Maybe in terms in numbers," Atlas grunted as pulled another pokéball of his belt. "But not in terms of power."

The blonde-haired trainer threw the device in the air and his Electabuzz appeared before him on the battlefield.

"Use Thunder!" Atlas roared, taking the first move.

"BUZZ!" cried Electabuzz as it body was ingulfed in yellow electricity. A powerful bolt was then launched, striking Feraligatr.

"Quick Feraligatr! Use Earthquake!" Tanner screamed in desperation. While Feraligatr was equipped to deal with electric types, Tanner knew one more Thunder attack would end his Pokémon's fight.

Feraligatr quickly pounded its fists into the ground causing it to violently shake as a crack shot through it and straight at Electabuzz.

When the carnage was cleared, both Pokémon stood glaring at each other after trading super-effective attacks. Both trainers were quick to call their next attacks.

"Dynamic Punch Electabuzz!"

"Dodge and use Hydro Pump!"

With a burst of speed, Electabuzz lunged at Feraligatr, leading with it's fist. The big jaw Pokémon was quick to dodge, ducking and blasting Electabuzz away with a powerful Hydro Pump.

"End it with Thunder!" commanded Atlas.

"Not so fast! Use Hydro Pump again!" Tanner called.

Both attacks collided in a flash. With a small explosion, the whole cave became filled with smoke. When it cleared, Feraligatr lay on the ground unable to battle. Electabuzz still stood tall.

"Thanks for the hard work Feraligatr" said Tanner as he recalled it back to its pokéball.

"Let's go Dragonair!" With a flash of light, Tanner's majestic blue serpent like dragon type appeared on the battlefield.

"So, you actually kept it." scoffed Atlas.

"What do you mean?" Tanner questioned.

"You kept that pathetic Dratini that was to scared to face my Gyarados in the Indigo League"

"Of course, I did!" Tanner exclaimed. "Dragonair and I are a team and she's grown so much from that time!"

"Only you would see a reason to battle with a Pokémon who's too scared to do so" Atlas said in disgust.

"We won't lose to you!" shouted Tanner. "Dragon Breath Dragonair!"

Dragonair shot a beam of orangish blue energy out of her mouth. The attack hit Electabuzz head on causing it to recoil slightly.

"Use Brick Break!"

"Block it with Dragon Tail!"

Leading with its glowing hand held in a karate chop position, Electabuzz slashed down at Dragonair. The dragon Pokémon was to intercept, using its glowing blue tail to block.

As the two Pokémon continued to fight to push the other away, Atlas called his next attack. "Use Dynamic Punch with your other hand!"

In a split second, Electabuzz delivered a devasting punch on the side of Dragonair's head, causing her to fall on to her side also allowing the Brick Break to land.

"Now end it with Thunder!" Atlas yelled, going in for the knock-out.

"Get out of there Dragonair!" Tanner shouted desperately, "Use Agility!"

Dragonair escaped Electabuzz' attack just in time, barely avoiding the bolt of electricity.

"Now use Slam!"

"Hit it with a Wild Charge!"

Both Pokémon slammed into each other at a high velocity. Electabuzz was coated in electricity that had small stray bolts flying everywhere. When the dust settled from the impact, both Pokémon lay unable to battle.

"Thanks, Dragonair take a long rest" Tanner said as he recalled his Dragonair.

Atlas merely wordlessly recalled Electabuzz.

"Go Tyranitar!" Atlas shouted as he released his towering armor Pokémon from its pokéball.

"Tyrana!" it roared.

Tanner gritted his teeth as grabbed the last pokéball on his belt. He was in a tough spot and he knew it. Atlas' still has his best in Gengar left and Tyranitar has a massive type advantage on him. The red capped trainer knew that he would have to work a miracle to win.

"Charizard!" he shouted as he threw his pokéball into the air. "I choose you!"

"Rawr!" Charizard roared as he shot a Flamethrower into the air.

"It's over Tanner!" shouted Atlas. "Tyranitar use Stone Edge!"

"Dodge and use Flamethrower!"

Tyranitar stomped on the ground and spikes of rock jettisoned out of the ground where Charizard stood seconds after the fire lizard took to the air with a mighty flap of his wings. Charizard unleashed a power blast of flames from his mouth which Tyranitar took with some ease.

"Now use Steel Wing!" Tanner called.

"Counter with Iron Defence!"

Taking time to gain speed, Charizard charged at Tyranitar with its wings glowing a silvery color. Tyranitar's body also began to glow that same silvery color. Charizard slashed Tyranitar with its wings, causing it to recoil despite its defensive move.

"Now use Hyper Beam!" roared Atlas.

"Quick Charizard! Blast Burn!"

Both Pokémon unleashed their most powerful attacks. Charizard launched a huge torrent of flames from its mouth. While Tyranitar sent forth a powerful beam of pure energy. The attacks collided with a giant explosion forcing Tanner to grab his hat to make sure it didn't blow away. Even from their safe spectating distance, Rachel and Jason had to shield themselves from the smoke.

Tanner was the first to act, calling Charizard's next move. "Get in close and use Flare Blitz!"

Charizard dashed towards Tyranitar as it's body was coated with bright blue flames, colliding with the armor Pokémon sending it sliding into a few stalagmites, which broke upon collision.

"Hit it with Rock Slide!"

In seconds, Tyranitar shot a barrage of boulders at Charizard. The fire lizard did its best to fly between them but was ultimately stuck multiple times by the super effective attack.

"Rawr!" Charizard roared in pain.

"We can't give up Charizard!" yelled Tanner as he gritted his teeth. "Use Flamethrower!"

"Block with Stone Edge!" Atlas countered.

A powerful Flamethrower attack was quickly launched at Tyranitar. Who, skillfully and quickly, stopped its feet in the ground creating a shield out of it's Stone Edge, successfully blocking the attack.

"Flamethrower again!"

"Take it"

Charizard wasted no time, hitting Tyranitar with a Flamethrower. Tanner couldn't help but question why Atlas let him take a free attack.

"Now use Stone Edge!" Atlas commanded.

With a stop of its foot. Tyranitar shot spires of spikey rock from the ground into Charizard. Tanner held his breath as his starter took what seemed to be a devastating blow.

Somehow, Charizard was miraculously able to quickly shake off the hit.

Atlas had enough of his Tyranitar somehow trading blow with Tanner's Charizard. It had a massive type advantage. _I should be wiping the floor with him!_ Atlas thought angerly.

"Finish this Tyranitar!" Atlas roared. "Use Giga Impact!"

"Take the fight Charizard!" Tanner exclaimed. "Flare Blitz!"

Both Pokémon charged at each other at the same time. Tyranitar's body covered in pure energy, Charizard's cloaked in blue flames. The collision was spectacular, generating a massive explosion.

When the smoke cleared, Tyranitar lay on the ground unmoving. Charizard stood tall, albeit with some injuries, the victor.

"YES!" Tanner fist pumped. "Great work Charizard!"

Rachel gasped as she covered her mouth with her hands. "How did he do that!?"

"I don't know," said Jason in disbelief as he rubbed his eyes. "That should have never happened, and Atlas still has Gengar left…"

"Pathetic" Atlas grumbled as returned Tyranitar to its pokéball. "Losing to that Charizard is pitiful."

Tanner shook his head Atlas' comments, deciding not to voice his disagreement this time. He has a battle to win.

Atlas grabbed his final pokéball and hurled it into the air. With a glorious flash of light, his Gengar appeared. Its menacing large, shadow like figure could strike fear into the eyes of small Pokémon and young children alike.

Both Charizard and Gengar narrowed their eyes into a glare as they looked at one another. This battle has played out many time before, from when Charizard was Charmander and Gengar was a Gastly, it's nearly impossible to count how many times these two Pokémon have fought.

The last time had come at the Trainer's Cup Final in Azalea Town. The other time prior, the round of sixteen at the Indigo League with Atlas and Gengar taking the victory over Tanner and Charizard both times.

"Ready to finish this Charizard?" Tanner asked as he trusty starter Pokémon.

"Rawr!" He roared in affirmative.

"How cute." Atlas mocked. "You can't really think you're going to defeat me."

"Of course, I do!" Tanner exclaimed. "We never quit! Charizard use Flamethrower!"

"Dodge and use Shadow Punch!"

As the flames neared, Gengar phased away to the left before reappearing next to Charizard and punching it square in the jaw.

Tanner was quick to react, calling Charizard's next attack. "Get off a quick Steel Wing while it's close!"

Shaking off its slight daze from Gengar's prior attack, Charizard slashed at Gengar with its wings as the shone a silvery color. Gengar slid backwards away from Charizard due to the power of the blow.

"Dark Pulse Gengar!"

"Counter with Flamethrower!"

The jet of flames and Gengar's pulse of dark energy collided in the centre cancelling each other out.

"Despite Charizard's prior battle, it's able to match Gengar's power! Remarkable!" exclaimed Jason as he Rachel continued to observe.

"Yeah…" Rachel trailed as she looked on worriedly towards Tanner and Charizard. "Let's hope they can keep up to the pace."

"Use Night Shade!" Atlas shouted.

Gengar's eyes grew large and menacing as the area around it flashed with ghostly energy hitting Charizard.

"Flamethrower Charizard!"

"Dodge and use Hex!"

Charizard shot a blast of fire from its mouth towards Gengar but the shadow Pokémon was quicker. Gengar sidestepped Charizard's attack as its body started to glow purple. Suddenly, three glowing purple orbs appeared around Charizard. They all simultaneously shocked the fire lizard with pink beams of energy.

Tanner clenched his jaw. He had to land some hits quick or else this could end quickly. "Use Flare Blitz!"

Like he was shot out of a cannon, Charizard raced through the air towards Gengar with incredible speed. His body cloaked in blazing blue flames, Charizard rammed Gengar all the way into the cave wall.

"Shadow Ball!" Atlas yelled.

"Dodge it!" Cried Tanner in desperation.

Quickly recovering, Gengar shot a Shadow Ball at Charizard who attempted to dodge but was unable to. The attack hitting its mark dead on for a critical hit.

"Rawr!" Charizard cried in pain as he landed back in front of Tanner.

"It's over Tanner!" called Atlas. "Your Charizard's nearly out of strength!"

"We're not even close to being finished!" Tanner shot right back. "Flamethrower Charizard!"

Gengar was quickly hit by Charizard's powerful fire type attack. It was actually starting to look worn down after taking the hit.

"Shadow Punch!"

As Gengar lunged towards Charizard, Tanner called his next move. "Get ready to use Blast Burn!"

Atlas' eyes widened as Charizard prepared to launch its most powerful attack. Everyone held their breaths as Gengar near Charizard.

The world seemed to slow down the closer to Charizard Gengar got. Tanner briefly closed his eyes before they shot open and he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"FIRE!"

Charizard opened its mouth and unleashed a Blast Burn as Gengar was inches away from it. Impact arrived instantaneously Gengar was sent flying away landing on its back. It had swirls in its eyes, unable to battle.

With only Charizard left standing, Tanner had finally beaten Atlas.

"YES!" Tanner exclaimed as he fist pumped before running towards Charizard, embracing the fire type in a big hug.

Rachel and Jason even joined in on the celebration as they high fived each other before going to see Tanner and Charizard.

Across the make shift battlefield, Atlas wordlessly recalled his fallen Gengar. He looked like a shell of himself. Atlas couldn't believe it, his win streak of seven consecutive battles against Tanner had come to an end. _I have to get stronger…. I can never lose to him again…._ Atlas thought as he glared at Tanner, his Pokémon and his friends as the celebrated.

"Good job guys!" exclaimed Rachel as she and Jason reached Tanner.

"I'm not sure how you managed to do it, but congrats" Jason chuckled as he playfully slapped Tanner on the back.

"Thanks guys!" Tanner replied.

"Umbreon!" Umbreon exclaimed as she jumped on her trainer's shoulder, having recovered from her battle.

"Ha ha ha! Stop it Umbreon!" Tanner chuckled as Umbreon began to lick him.

As the celebrations died down, Tanner turned towards Atlas to see him walking away with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey Atlas!" He called out.

The blond-haired trainer stopped in his tracks not turning around.

"Thanks for the great battle!" Tanner said trying to be friendly with Atlas once again, something his rival had never shown him after a victory. "Don't you want to see if Lugia will show up like you said?"

"That was not a great battle" Atlas replied shortly. "As for Lugia, you have won the orb and the right to do with it as you wish. Thus, I have no reason to stick around."

Tanner watched his rival start to walk away again. "Will I see you at the Silver Conference then?"

Atlas made no verbal response, only raising his hand in the air in small motionless wave.

The group stood in silence as Atlas made his way out of sight.

"What's his problem?" Rachel spat in disgust.

"Every person has their own way of behaving, like how every Pokémon trainer has their own way of training Pokémon." explained Jason. "Atlas is just a different type of person then we are, and we can't let that bother us."

"I guess so," Rachel huffed in agreement.

"That's right!" Interject Tanner as he finished recalling Charizard back to his pokéball. "If I had let Atlas get in my head, there's no way Charizard and I would've been able to comeback against him! But enough about that, let's get that orb!"

The group quickly made their way into the altar room. Where, Tanner made his way up the steps of the altar towards the Orb of Requirement with Umbreon on his shoulder as Jason and Rachel watched from the bottom. Surprisingly, the crystals imbedded in the walls started to glow brighter as Tanner neared the orb. With each step he took, they continued to glow brighter until he reached the top where the shone with a dazzling light. Rachel and Jason looked around at the crystals surprised by what was happening.

Stopping at the top, Tanner eyed the Orb of Requirement. The small crystal ball started to glow with a light gentle blue hue. As Tanner reached out to grab it, the light intensified. The red capped trainer attempted to gently pull it out of its holder. When it wouldn't bunch, Tanner pulled harder and with the added effort, it finally came dislodged from the altar.

"Would'ya look at that." Tanner whispered as he held the Orb of Requirement out in his palm.

"Umbre" coed Umbreon as she too looked at the orb.

"I got it!" exclaimed Tanner as he held the orb in the air while he descended the altar steps back to Rachel and Jason.

Once he reached the ground, Tanner and his friends went on to plan their next move.

"Well, I got the orb, now what?" asked Tanner.

"Hm," Jason grabbed his chin as he began to think. "I'm not sure, that girl at the Pokémon Centre wasn't to clear on how to stop the storm after we retrieved the Orb of Requirement."

"Ugh! Why does this have to be so difficult!" whined Tanner. "I mean first we have to cross a turbulent ocean, then I have to beat Atlas in a full six on six battle and then we finally get the orb only to now have to figure out how to use it."

"Who ever said potentially saving the world would be easy?" Jason replied.

Rachel suddenly spoke up, remembering a detail from Tanner and Atlas' earlier conversation. "Didn't Atlas say something about using it to purify Lugia?"

"That's right!" Jason said as then replayed the earlier conversation in his head. "Atlas said that the Orb of Requirement is used to purify Lugia of negative energy so that it can quell the storm!"

"Great!" interjected Tanner. "But that only leaves on question, where do we find Lugia?"

Both Rachel and Jason looked crestfallen as Tanner said that.

"I guess we'll have to figure it out?" replied Jason not sounding too sure of himself.

"We're not getting anywhere!" Rachel puffed in frustration.

Sighing, Tanner leaned on a pillar in the cave next to one of the water pools, "What to do, what to do…." He mumbled as he let the arm holding the orb lazily hang.

Umbreon hopped off her trainer's shoulder and stood next to him. She looked at the orb intently as it started to glow a bright blue.

"Umbreon Umbre!" Umbreon exclaimed.

Her cries however, were ignored as the three humans in her company were to busy trying to figure out what to do.

"Umbreon!" Umbreon exclaimed more frantically as she pawed at Tanner's leg.

"Not now Umbreon," He replied not even looking at his Pokémon. "We'll play later"

Starting to get a little angry, Umbreon shot a weak Dark Pulse at Tanner.

"Ow! What!?" Tanner turned towards Umbreon only to realise that the Orb of Requirement was starting to glow a very bright and violent blue that was starting to illuminate the cave.

Also noticing this, Rachel and Jason turned to Tanner who was looking at the orb.

"What did you do? Why is the orb glowing?" asked Rachel frantically.

"I don't know!" Tanner replied. "It just started doing it on its own!"

As Jason looked at the orb, he noticed the water in the pool behind Tanner slowly start to spiral upwards, the water getting more violent and turbulent as it moved.

"Uh, Rachel, Tanner…" He started to speak but the water spiral started to get taller and get even more out of hand.

"What?" Both Tanner and Rachel asked simultaneously as they turned to face Jason. Who look a little scared as he shakily pointed behind them.

Tanner and Rachel both jumped as they turned to see a giant spiralling pillar of water. It was so strong that it was creating air currents in the cave.

"What is that?!" cried Rachel as her brown hair was blowing all over the place. Tanner had a firm grasp on his hat, making sure it didn't blow away.

"I don't kn-" Jason's explanation was interrupted as the water pillar suddenly burst.

Water was sent flying in all directions as a majestic dragon looking Pokémon appeared in place of it. Lugia, the guardian of the sea had arrived.

"Kyahhh!" It cried.

Everyone was left speechless as they were in the presence of a legendary Pokémon. They could only look on and marvel at its beauty and majesty.

Tanner slowly raised his pokédex and scanned the beast.

"Lugia, the Diving Pokémon. It is said to be the guardian of the seas. It is rumored to have been seen on the night of a storm. It chooses to live deep in the sea." Said the mechanical voice.

Something that everyone noticed immediately was that the Lugia before them looked different then the picture that appeared on the screen of Tanner's pokédex. The one on Tanner's pokédex had a white body with blue areas and white eyes while the one emerging from the water pool had red eyes and black body with dark grey spots.

"Why does that one look different?" Tanner asked, breaking the silence.

"I don't know, maybe the negative energy?" Jason guessed.

"Kyahhh!" cried Lugia once again before it launched a powerful beam of energy towards the group.

"Look out!" Jason exclaimed.

Luckily, everyone was able to evade Lugia's attack by running behind one of the many stone pillars in the cave.

"Why is it attacking in us?!" screamed Rachel.

"It's in pain" Tanner said solemnly. "Look!" He said pointing at Lugia.

"Umbre Umbre!" Umbreon agreed.

Rachel and Jason followed Tanner's gaze to see Lugia wince in pain as it moved, flapping its wings to stay in the air.

"You're right, the negative energy must be corrupting it." Jason observed.

Lugia roared yet again. Its eyes seemed to be pleading for someone to help it as it unleashed another attack randomly in the air.

"Look!" Rachel cried. "It's still in so much pain and crying out for help, we need to help it!"

"But how?" Both Tanner and Rachel looked over to see Jason with a defeated expression. "We don't even know how to use the orb to purify it. Even with can figure it out, we probably don't have long until the storm destroys the world, look!"

The trio plus Umbreon turned to see a small steady flow of water entering the cave from the entrance. Feeling the same defeat as Jason, Rachel also sagged her head, looking at the ground.

Looking back and forth between his friends and Lugia, Tanner knew someone had to do something. Lugia continued to thrash in pain as Tanner focused his vision on the legendary beast. _"I can't let it end like this"_ He though as he looked towards Umbreon for a brief moment. _"We've come too far to let it end here, and I made a promise to you Umbreon that I would always help Pokémon in need"_

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Viridian Forest, Kanto Region, 1 year ago…_

 _Thunder shook the trees causing them to sprinkle little droplets everywhere as lightning raced through the cloudy sky. The pouring rain was filling the already deep puddles that Tanner Riverton ran through as he carried a small injured Eevee in his arms. His trusty Charmander following right behind him being careful not to get his tail flame wet._

 _The trainer eventually stopped underneath a large tree that shielded the trio from the rain for the most part. Collapsing to his knees in exhaustion, Tanner made sure to keep the Eevee in his arms as his soaked red baseball cap fell to the ground._

 _Charmander mimicked his trainer's motions, instead falling on to his stomach, still keeping his tail flame dry._

 _"I think we've lost them…" Tanner panted as he looked over his shoulder to verify that they were no longer being chased._

 _He gently reached for Charmander's pokéball from his belt and recalled the fire lizard. "Thanks, Charmander, you really saved us, take a long rest"_

 _The brown-haired boy then gently placed Eevee on a bed of dry grass._

 _"Vee?" She asked weakly as she raised her head._

 _"Don't worry, they won't hurt you." Said Tanner "Just rest, you really need it."_

 _"Vee Vee Eevee?" Eevee asked._

 _"Now that a silly question," Tanner smiled. "Of course, I'd help you, in fact, I would help any Pokémon in need, I promise you that!"_

* * *

Determination set in Tanner's eyes. He ran away from the safety of the rocky pillar clutching the Orb of Requirement in one hand and holding on to his hat with the other. He ignored the cries of Rachel and Jason as he ran all the way so that he stood just in front of Lugia.

"Hold on Lugia!" Tanner shouted over the torrential wind generated by every flap of Lugia's wings. "You need to be strong! Fight the negative energy!"

"Kyahhhhhh!" roared Lugia as it thrashed about before lifting its head in the air.

Tanner's heart dropped as he realised that Lugia was charging its most powerful attack; its signature move, Aero Blast.

Bracing himself for the worst, Tanner closed his eyes and threw his arms in front of him waiting for the deadly beam of blue energy to strike him. But it never came. He gasped when he opened his eyes to see a beam of orange energy shoot out of the Orb of Requirement and hit Lugia.

It didn't appear to be violent in nature. It almost appeared to be cleansing it. As a warm orange aura wrapped around Lugia, the blackness and greyness started to fade away from its body. The sparkly blue also slowly returned to its eyes, replacing the bloody red, as it began to return to its normal coloration.

As Lugia was being purified, Rachel, Jason and Umbreon looked around to see the water in the pools slowly calm. The steady stream filling the cave also slowly came to a stop and they could no longer hear the distant wind howling down the into the cavern.

Lowering the orb once the beam stopped and the orange aura subsided, Tanner was left speechless as he observed the now normal looking legendary Pokémon in front of him.

" _The orb has purified me of the negative energy,"_ said Lugia telepathically. _"Thank you"_

"W-w-wh-what?" Tanner stuttered, tripping over his words. "I didn't do anything"

" _Wrong,"_ Lugia replied swiftly and sternly. _"You fought for what you believed in and journeyed to the middle of nowhere to reach the Orb of Requirements. You worked together with your Pokémon and when you where at a loss as for what to do, you threw yourself into danger in a brave, albeit reckless attempt to aide in whatever way you could. Those are important qualities for any Pokémon Trainer"_

"Uh, thanks," replied Tanner nervously. "Are you alright Lugia?"

" _I am thanks to you,"_ Lugia nodded. _"The orb has restored my strength and crippled the Oblivion Storm."_

"Only crippled it?" spoke Jason, finding his voice after being in awe.

" _Yes,"_ replied Lugia. _"I must go and make sure its defeated which means I must depart immediately."_

"Will we ever see you again?" Tanner asked.

"Perhaps," Lugia said thoughtfully. "Until we meet again O Chosen One"

With one move, Lugia dove back into the pool of water in which it originally immerged. It quickly disappeared under the water leaving Tanner, Rachel and Jason silently watching.

"Wow," Rachel said breaking the silence. "I can't believe I got to see Lugia use such rare and beautiful move as Aero Blast!" she gushed.

"Of course," Tanner sighed at Rachel's love for Pokémon moves. "That's your take away from this whole experience."

"Okay than Tanner, what should my take away have been?" retorted Rachel hotly.

"Well maybe the fact that I finally beat Atlas or that we actually met Lugia or maybe I don't know, the fact that I used a mythical orb to free Lugia and SAVE THE WORLD?!" Tanner shouted.

Jason sighed as both he and Umbreon sweat dropped. Only Tanner and Rachel would argue about trivial issues after a once in a lifetime experience.

"Alright guys, that's enough!" Jason said breaking up the argument. "Everything about this adventure was remarkable. But I think we should at least leave this cave before we argue about what was the best."

Both Tanner and Rachel instantly stopped glaring at each other and grinned sheepishly.

"You're right Jason! Let's get out of here!"

* * *

Tanner smiled as the gentle sea breeze reached his nose from the dock on which he stood, overlooking the sea. The sun was setting, making for a beautiful sight of many vibrant shades of red, yellow, orange and pink on dancing across the calm ocean. Which was, in its self a far cry from the weather earlier that day when he and his friends first arrived in Olivine City.

On his shoulder was his trusty Umbreon who was also enjoying the view as well as the clear weather. Tanner reached into a pocket of his backpack and pulled out the Orb of Requirement. He stared at it for a moment before raising it into the air, causing the sun to shine through its crystal-like structure causing it to sparkle a little like a rainbow.

"We had quite the adventure today, didn't we Umbreon?" Tanner said as he brought the orb down to his chest.

"Bre?" replied Umbreon as she looked at her trainer, who kept staring out towards the sea, waiting for him to continue.

"I mean, what if I couldn't take the orb out of the altar," Tanner continued. "What if Lugia never showed up? What if the orb didn't do what it did in time to save Lugia?"

"What if this was all meant to happen? What if these events all played out exactly like they were supposed to?"

Tanner and Umbreon turned towards the new voice to see the silver-haired girl from before. She stood next to them with her grey eyes focussed on the ocean ahead.

"You should believe that you were able to use the orb because it responded to your heart, not because you were lucky"

"Uh," Tanner was at a loss for words.

"There's something special inside you Tanner," the girl said turning to face him. "I see it, Lugia sees it, the orb sees it, your Pokémon see it. Now it is time for you to see it."

The girl turned and started to walk away.

"Wait!" Tanner said frantically. "Who are you? How do you know my na-"

"Hey Tanner!" he heard Rachel call from the Pokémon Centre, interrupting him. "Jason just finished supper and it smells good! If you hurry, we might be able finish quickly, get to bed early and be able to leave early tomorrow!"

"I'll be right there Rachel!" shouted Tanner in response over his shoulder.

When he turned back toward where the girl had been, she was gone. It was like she vanished into thin air.

"Where did she go?"

Tanner stood there for a moment in disbelief before turning to Umbreon.

"Well that was weird," Tanner wasn't exactly sure what the girl was telling him or if he should even take it seriously.

"Whatever," he said, dismissing those thoughts. "Let's go eat Umbreon!"

With that, the duo ran back towards the Pokémon centre and onwards towards their next adventure.

"Kyahhh!" The form of Lugia appeared in the distance leaping from the water in a magnificent splash.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! This one sure took me awhile to write but I'm quite pleased with the final product. If you enjoyed the characters in this story feel free to check out the other stories on my profile for more of their adventures, as well as the timeline!**


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